{Sounds Like Life to Me!}

GrandCamp June 24-25

2010-06-28T19:04:00.001-07:00

Friday night, we had a sleepover with the Divine Miss L. It will be our last one for awhile, since Grammy R. is here to help with the new baby for a month.

Miss L wanted her toes painted "blue, like Mom's." The women in the family had gone for a pedicure last Thursday night and Sarah got blue painted toes.

So here she is all freshified from her bath, and laying in my bed waiting for her nails to dry.

Note the cute Grammy Jammies from Grammy R.

Watch for Lucky's appearance on Wednesday!

MEMORIAL DAY 2010

2010-06-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

My dad and brother are buried in Sandy City cemetery - about 50 minutes from where I live. I didn't actually get there on Memorial Day, because I knew I'd be going up that way later in the week. This cemetery doesn't have an actual injunction against plastic flowers, but 95 % of the flowers in these pictures are real. It looked almost gaudy, because there were so many flowers. Apparently this year, they didn't put flags on the veteran's graves, either.(looking east from Dad's grave)

(looking north from Dad's grave)

This is Dad and Jeff's grave marker. I brought the flamingo in the top center. I think this is the first time in 8+ years I haven't cried at the cemetery.

That made me feel like crying.

YAK FEST IN YAKIMA

2010-06-14T00:34:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging from eastern Washington state tonight. I've been here since Wednesday evening. My older sister, LaVanita, has breast cancer and I came to be with her for her first 2 chemo treatments. My Mom and younger sister Voyla will drive up here next Saturday, and my Mom will stay til after chemo, surgery, and radiation.

Everywhere we go - the grocery store, restaurant, doctor appointments - people comment on how much we look alike. Voyla and I get it sometimes (we both live in Utah), but nothing like LaVanita and I get. She is at least 4-5" shorter than me, and has more reddish hair. We even sound alike! When we were children, people often thought we were twins. We're 2 years apart, but she was always small, so we were very close to the same size until high school.

The first chemo treatment was scary, and even after attending "Chemo Education," we weren't sure what to expect. We each packed enough books, magazines and projects to fill several weeks, even though we were only going to be there 4-5 hours. We did almost nothing. It would seem that putting such powerful chemicals into a body would be much more dramatic. . . but there was no music of doom, no solemn march, or soap opra music. Just the click of IV machines and low tones of the nursing staff. Every single medication was accompanied by simple, direct explanations by the nurses. For the final 2 infusions, the nurse gowned up and wore protective eyewear; she injected the IV tubing manually with a clear red and deadly potion. Each dose is double calculated for patient surface area (a combo of height and weight) and a pair of nurses double check each other. LaVanita has a port in her chest, for ease of infusion. She felt nothing. This did not stop us from eating baked beans and hush puppies from Miz Dee's BBQ. After all, they only have hush puppies on Fridays. We couldn't afford to miss it.

So, here we are, almost 72 hours later and all she is feeling - and has felt - is a tiredness and some aching. Rumor has it that nausea sets in at about the 72 hour point. We are waiting, and hoping that she will be one of the "lucky" ones who doesn't have the violent reactions. It's hard to feel lucky when you have lost your husband to a sudden stroke 3 years ago, and now have Stage III breast cancer. And you are only 57.

LaVanita's daughter Punkin and her granddaughter Belly came Friday night from Seattle. We talked and visited and caught up on everything. We keep up through her mom but it feels good to connect, even if it is only at the dramatic points of our lives. LaVanita's son, Popeye, will be here in the early morning hours for a quick 24 hour visit. He also lives in Seattle.

I know we look old on the outside, but I still feel like a kid, giggling and talking into the night, long after we should be asleep. It is hard to believe that we are the grandparents and commiserating about hot flashes and aching joints, and bragging about grandchildren.

But wait! There is more news! In Utah, Sarah was quite ill this morning and had contractions. She went to the hospital, where they did blood tests, gave her fluids, monitored her for awhile and then sent her home. Unfortunately, this evening she was running a temperature. She is almost 37 weeks (see baby ticker), so the baby is nealry full-term. Her projected delivery date is June 30; actual due date of July 7. Thanks Kate, Jenn and Dan for pitching in today, and tomorrow for Sarah's regular OB appointment. Meanwhile, Mel is in Idaho with his dad and sister. Grandpa is 91 and on home hospice. Not five minutes after talking to Sarah, Mel called and said his dad had had a small stroke. Tonight, he seems to be mostly recovered from any lingering effects.

In other news: After making a defiant stand at work for Family Medical Leave to come to Yakima, I found out AT THE AIRPORT that I wasn't actually covered at all under FML for a sibling. Oh well. For now, I'm going to do my Scarlett O'Hara thing and "think about it tomorrow." Or next week.

MATCHING SUNDAY CLOTHES

2010-05-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

These outfits started as Easter outfits. I got the fabric way back in January, but didn't get them finished until just before going to Houston. Bay's dress has embroidery on the sash, and Goat's dress has yoke smocking. Goons outfit was found at a store - and matched the colors perfectly. The kids wore them to church the Sunday I was there. Bay gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting, along with her Mom and Dad. She was even excited to sit up front on the stand! I was in the congregation with the two little ones. . . I'd forgotten how exhausting that was! Goon tried to escape several times, and was successful once. Luckily, the lady in front of us grabbed him quickly. How did I manage all those years - often by myself - with 3 or 4 little ones?!

That was Goat's first Sunday in the Nursery, too. I tried to stay in there with her (I was SURE she'd need me), but the teacher wouldn't let me stay! I wanted to protest, but the Goat did great without me. *sigh* She was the tiniest one in there, and had to be convinced to leave the bubbles when it was time to go home.

TEXAS TIME

2010-05-31T07:39:00.001-07:00

I went to Texas for a week. It was great to visit with the Wallaces. I was so popular for an entire 8 days! Even the Little Goat warmed up to me right away.

One night I fixed spaghetti for the kids. I didn't know if Goat would ever come clean!

We went to Bay's coach-pitch baseball game on Saturday. The Goat is so sweet to stay in her stroller for the entire game.Goon loves to play on the sidelines, throwing the ball to his dad.

Bay up at bat!
Guh and Papa Wallace go to all her games.

I went to Bailey's school to eat lunch with her. I took a Happy Meal (per her request) and she had a special dessert. I am amazed at the LACK of chaos while the kindergarteners eat lunch.

I do some blogging for a children's store called Strasburg Children, so we decided we had to visit one of Houston's THREE stores (I'd never been to their store - only on-line) Baby Goat was excited to see all the pretty clothes, but the Goon was more interested in hiding in the dressing rooms. We didn't buy much, but I got lots of great ideas for smocking!

Floors and dressing rooms were great for playing.

Goon, Looli, and the Goat

I was lucky to be there for Looli's 29th birthday [insert usual laments about time]. Brandon's parents were there for cake, t0o.

It was a wonderful break for me, and I loved being there. Every morning, Benson was up before 6:00 to climb in bed with me. I got lots of good snuggling in with him.

My friend Kay drove over from San Antonio and we had a great visit one morning. We were so busy gabbing, I forgot to get any pictures!

Sure was a fun week - and not too warm. I did not miss the SNOW in Utah that fell while I was gone.

Baby Lucky

2010-05-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

Baby Lucky (see ticker) is due to be delivered by repeat C-section on June 30. We can hardly wait! His name will be Robert Mel (after his grandfather's). Laura Christine is named for her grandmothers. She still has some pronunciation issues with her "L" sound and it comes out "War-ya."

We know a few things about Baby Robert:
* He will be well-dressed
* War-ya will be in charge of him
* He's probably going to be pretty big (War-ya was 9.5 lbs and he's already about 6 lbs)
* He'll be welcomed by Grammy Ralston and the Leseberg clan. Grammy is staying 4 weeks! Tom and Grandpa R. will join Grammy for the last week or so.
* He is our "Rainbow" baby
* He will be well-loved by all!

Laura's hair do

2010-05-31T07:10:00.000-07:00

Laura was visiting and wanted me to curl her hair, after I'd curled mine. I don't think her mother EVER asked to have her hair curled! She likes to put on make-up, too. After I was done with my hair and make-up, she told me I looked "terrific!"

The End of the Pain

2010-05-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

I got the cast off my ankle about 5 weeks ago. Then, I had to wear a huge bionic brace - all the time - sleeping showering, etc. But, at least I could loosen it when my leg swelled and I knew I could take it off for a few minutes if I was really going crazy. That made a huge difference to me. About 2 weeks ago, I graduated to an elaborate ankle brace. This sucker has 2 lace up and velcro parts, 2 long straps that criss-cross and go up the side of my ankle, and one wide strap around the top of the brace. It's quite the feat of engineering - I accidently wore it upside down for several days!

So, now I am desperately trying to catch up on all the stuff I couldn't do while I was impaired and couldn't drive. Best of all: I'm going to Houston to see the Wallace's for a week! Woohoo!

Picky eaters

2010-05-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

We took Laura out to eat last night - just her, no parents. We asked where she wanted to go, and she insisted on "the tortilla place." (that would be Del Taco) Nothing could persuade her to go somewhere else, so off we went. When Pa asked if she wanted Sprite or lemondaide, she said she wanted horchata. Seriously, what 2 1/2 year old requests horchata?!

On Friday, Looli put on FaceBook that Benz (3 years) was dipping his peanut butter and nutella sandwich in chipoltle ranch dressing. All I have to say about that is "pass the tums, please."

Several weeks ago, Mel flew with Brody from Seattle. He knew Brody (5 1/2) would be hungry, so he asked him where he wanted to eat. There was a Wendy's right in front of them. Brody said no, he didn't want that -- he'd show Papa where to eat. He pulled him across the food court to Ivar's seafood and said he wanted the "soup" (clam chowder). Brody drained the entire bowl.

What a bunch of funny eaters!

No matter how many toys and play things...

2010-04-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

. . . . every once in awhile, a girl just has to run, and run; back and forth.

Note how bare the tree is. This was taken April 10. We've had about 4" more snow since then.

Guggie's Playhouse

2010-04-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

About 6 weeks ago in Costco, there was a most fabulous playhouse. Laura must've played in it for 20 minutes, at least. I knew I had to have one for my back yard.

Here, Laura is cooking hot dogs, just like she did at Costco. I think she has a future in being a "sample lady." She calls the tongs "grab-nabbers." (must hear to appreciate)

Here she is pointing (with chalk) to the front porch of the house. She had just rung the doorbell - you can't quite see it, but it's above the painted flower. The door is missing because we hadn't latched it the week before when we went inside. We had a big windstorm, and the door blew off. Papa has it in the garage while he repairs it. These are plastic insets - similar to window boxes. The yellow one is for digging for bones - I do believe I posted pictures of the ones I've been collecting all winter for such a purpose. The blue one is for "swimming." Maybe we can get some plastic fish to make it a koi pond. I will be adding a plastic wading pool to the area. That is, if it ever gets warm.

This is the other side window. It has the metal grill, including a cover, for cooking hot dogs. Too bad it doesn't make churros like Costco.

The red curtains are dual purpose: it is also a puppet theater! On the far side, there's a chalkboard marquee to advertise your production. Two puppets came with the house. Also note the basketball hoop above the window.

This is the most frequent visitor to Guggie's playhouse. Note the "Big Sister" shirt. Since Sarah is now obviously pregnant, I thought she could have it for Easter. We sit next to each other in our lawn chairs and blow bubbles while wearing our sunglasses. Hers are Dora, from Target. Mine are not. We mention this everytime we wear them.

More and More Whining

2010-04-07T19:18:00.001-07:00

I called the doctor today, whining about how my cast was caved in and broken/splitting. Since it had been 3 weeks, I naively thought he might take it off. Oh hahahaha. Instead, they reinforced it and built it up anymore. It's quite a bit thicker and throws my hips out even further when I walk. Like I have a wet diaper on, or something. When I first stand up, I almost fall on my face.

Can I possibly stand another 2 weeks? Or more?!

One more post and I'm done for today

2010-04-04T21:25:00.001-07:00

On April 2, Jenn turned 24. We celebrated by going for Korean food - even Grandpa liked it. Instead of a birthday cake, she wanted lemon meringue pie. Jenn blew out the candles once, Laura 3 or 4 times. Happy to You, Jenn!

Take the Keys and Lock Her Up!

2010-04-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

We were tending Laura a couple of days ago. She reached into the drawer and fished out all the plastic and some baby utensils. (She isn't actually tall enough to see into the drawer) She then proceeded to make "locks" for our cupboards. We have never had to use this method for her, as we have locks installed inside the cabinets. This was her idea -- locking doors is her favorite thing to do. Just ask Sarah about the garage!
Anyway, after she had done this, she announced that the locks were to keep the Guggies, Dans, and Jenns out of the cupboards! (Pretty much all those who were home) What a character!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-04-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Today is our THIRTY-FIFTH (yes, 3-5) wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been that long.. . .seems like I turned 35 years old just a couple (oh, say 20) years ago! We were married in the Provo Temple. Now, we live in Provo, and I can see the temple from my upstairs every day.
THE SCORE:
Four Children (3 girls, one boy) and their spouses (2 husbands, one wife)
Six Grandchildren - five living and #7 due in July - 3 girls, 4 boys
We each have one parent still living: My mom is 78 and Mel's dad is 91 next month!
We've lived in Arizona, New Jersey, Illinois, northern California, Germany, southern California, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah.
We've had nine jobs between us: I've had 6 and Mel has had 3 (Air Force counts for 23 of those years)
I don't even want to think about how many pets, houses, rentals, yards, painting, repairing, fencing, gardens we've done.
We've lived in Provo, in the same house for 12+ years.
I guess 35 years was barely long enough to do all that!

Springtime in the Rockies - Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:56:00.001-07:00

Yes, it is April 4 and this is what we woke up to. It was probably 3" of heavy, wet snow. At least we didn't have to shovel any, since the ground is somewhat warmer. They are predicting more tomorrow and the day after.

Notice that the mountains are completely hidden by snow/fog. There was another close up picture of our flowers covered in snow, but it was hard to tell what you are looking at. Only a few daffodils and the snow crocuses have come up.

I am tired of cold, snowy, overcast days.

SPRING??? WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU??

Why my big plans dissolved. . . .

2010-04-04T20:38:00.001-07:00

I broke (?) my ankle back in the fall, although it had been hurting for several months. I wore a boot for about 6 weeks, but it didn't help much and I didn't pursue it after I was done with the boot in December. It still really hurt, so I went to the podiatrist in early March. The xray showed a much worse break, with soft tissue that had formed around it, and encapsulated it. I was sent for an MRI which showed a torn/ruptured tendon. I went to the Dr. on Thursday afternoon, and was operated on the next Wednesday, March 17. Once he opened my ankle, he found TWO ruptured tendons, one completely separated by a couple of inches, and another about 2/3 ruptured. He repaired them - one with a "jacket" to help it heal-- and scooped out the tissue surrounding the fracture. I ended up missing 8 days of work, and working partial days when I first went back. This cast will be on until at least April 20 (although if it doesn't come off by then, I will need a straight jacket for myself).

The cast is flamingo pink and I have matching glitter toes. :) On the left picture, you can see where Brody (5 years old) signed it. The right picture shows where Laura (2.5 years) "signed" her name. When she saw Brody signing it, she was a little horrified and reminded us "We don't write on our legs!" We assured her it was OK on a cast. My daughter Kate and sister Pam signed the inside; my daughter-in-law wrote her own little poem on the bottom of my foot. Something about a break and how awful I've felt. ;)

It really has been much more painful than I anticipated. It was same-day surgery and I figured I'd be good to go after 2-3 days. Ha! I still have to keep it elevated quite a bit to keep it from swelling. When it swells, the cast is unbearable.

Obviously, I haven't been able to do much of anything.

Long time, no blogging

2010-04-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Easter. . . about that Lent issue....I did begin cleaning the basement, but didn't get far.
It does look better than this now -- well, somewhat better.

This is the view from the hall way as you enter the sewing/office/scrapbooking room.

It's bad. Really bad. So far, I have carried out over 5 big trashbags to give away; and probably 2 of trash.
I do have a really awesome excuse. At least for some of the time.

Lent Observance

2010-02-23T20:42:00.003-08:00

Although I am not Catholic, I've always been fascinated by the concept of Lent. Since I've yet to even decide real New Years Resolutions, I was stalled. So, I was reading on another blog how this mom had divided her home into 40 sections, and she was going to do a section a day for Lent. That would never work for me, but it got me thinking. I have some really huge messes in my basement. The basement is finished, but extra space seems to attract junk - and we've lived here 12+ years. The clean up is so overwhelming - it looks so bad, I don't know if I can even take a picture, never mind post one.

I am a [messy] seamstress with way too many patterns and too much fabric. Then there's the scrapbooking mess....it looks like Pebbles in My Pocket threw up in there, in addition to the sewing mess. My daughter-in-law has helped thin out the scrapbooking - this past summer she worked at the state hospital and several times loaded up boxes of "stuff" to take to the teenage girls unit. You still can't tell anything is missing, though.

Did I mention the Christmas wrapping mess that is still out in the spare bedroom down there (because the closet is too full)? Lots of other random stuff that I haven't found a home for. I seriously can't believe the mess....

So here's my Lent 40 day exercise (yes, I'm a week or so late): I'm going to clean for 15 minutes in the basement every night. This will require me to gird up my loins after work, and face the mess. I really did not want to do it tonight, but I went down there for about 45 minutes. I did the same last night. I guess I should take pictures every 3-5 days, so I can see my progress. Once I'm there, I get busy and somewhat productive. But, I could go weeks and never venture down there, and the worse the mess is, the less I want to face it.

Did I mention our son and daughter-in-law live down there, too?

It's a Boy!

2010-02-23T20:39:00.001-08:00

Sarah and Bob will be having a delicious man-cub sometime before the 7th of July. We are all so excited. I celebrated by taking Sarah and Yaya to the Carter's outlet. :)

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow....

2010-02-15T19:45:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we find out if Sarah and Bob are having a boy or a girl. I don't have a preference, but have picked up two little boy outfits in the past week or so. It's so hard to find cute boy stuff -- I'm not the least concerned about finding cute stuff for a girl. :)
I can't believe I haven't bought hardly anything this time. Maybe I've been afraid of jinxing things? Sure will be grateful to know IT is growing and doing fine.

If Sunday is a day of rest, why am I so tired?

2010-02-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Last night as I lay down to bed, I remembered I hadn't gotten any rolls for the SuperBowl festivities. Since we were having sandwiches, it was kind of important. I try to never go to the store on Sunday and decided I'd make some in the morning. So, as soon as I was up, I made a double batch of rolls -- making them a little bigger than usual rolls. (Wouldn't you know I'd used up my frozen roll dough the day before for scones at lunch) Then, went to church, including almost 2 hours in the nursery. I had prepared my lesson and some other visual aids in the morning. So we come right home, I get dinner together and out on the bar -- did I mention I made deviled eggs, too? After dinner, I took Yaya and went to the basement to hem Sarah's jeans. Yaya played with buttons and tape while I hemmed 2 pairs of jeans, and one corduroy pair for Sarah. We came upstairs and I was dividing the food and repackaging -- some stuff for Sarah and Bob, and some for us.
As I was doing this clean up, I remembered I needed to do something with the two packaqges of chicken tenders. I decided to go for broke and cooked one package, until I could shred it - a little less than 2 pounds. Instead of just putting the cooked stuff in the freezer, I decided to go for broke and made SEVENTEEN BURRITOS to freeze. And then there was all THAT mess to clean up. I had a medium load of kitchen towels, pot holders, etc from the weekend, so I put that in the wash.
Nearly every weekend is a variation on this theme. No wonder I never get to any big projects.

I wasn't even kidding

2010-02-04T07:30:00.001-08:00

Remember back in my December post about the snow being Mother Nature's White Trash? Well here it is February 4th and the trash snow is taller and dirtier.

These were taken at the Health Center parking lot at BYU. I had some time to kill while waiting for a friend.

You can see how high it is in comparison to a truck, and a car.
We lose parking spots all over campus for piles of snow, so every weekend, a truck comes and carries some of it away.

At least it's sunny - but you can tell it's still really cold as the snow is NOT melting.

Mother Nature's cruel joke.

While posting these, I realized I was right up against the mountain and could've taken gorgeous pictures if I'd turned halfway around. Instead, I felt the need to prove I am right.

*sigh*

January and February make me very pessimistic.

How to hem jeans

2010-02-04T07:15:00.001-08:00

Using your zipper foot and a size 16 or 18 jeans needle, make a tuck above the hem in the jeans.

When measuring, remember that the tuck should be HALF the amount you want to take off. I try to sew under the the little top of the hem.
This is what it looks like when you are done - notice original hem still intact. After trying on AGAIN (measure twice, cut once), I trim the seam, zigzag over it, put fray check on the edge of the seam. Press what remains UP.

Voila! You have jeans the correct length, but still have that factory finish that you can never duplicate at home. I read abouit this technique somewhere -- it's how professional tailors hem jeans.

The first couple of times after washing, you may need to press the hem up. Eventually, it stays on it's own.

If I had growing children, I might try this without cutting the tucked fabric (if it wasn't too much). That way, you could let them down maybe 3/4 to 1".

I don't know why I hadn't heard about this before. Or, thought about doing it myself!

This takes me about 10 minutes or less to do -- maybe 15 with trying them on twice. If you grovel, I'll hem yours for a Diet Coke.

Fun after Christmas

2010-01-29T21:05:00.001-08:00

Kate had to work the week between Christmas and New Years. Sarah and I managed to entertain Brody and Laura. I so enjoyed having Brody all to myself....well, not exactly all by myself. We still had a pretty full house. Papa got a snow blower for Christmas and Brody was absolutely enthralled by the snow and the snow blower. Unfortunately, we didn't have snow gear for Brody (you don't need it in Seattle!), and he got cold pretty quickly.
Note his hat. On the right is Daniel blowing Grandma Wilcox's driveway.

You couldn't tell the street from the yard.

Late one morning, we went to Pirate Island. It's a pizza/restaurant with video games and play areas. MUCH nicer than Chucky Cheese.

Brody and I got there first. That is a very spooky looking pirate in the background.

Handsome Scallywag

On the right, notice how Brody rides the little merry-go-round standing up. Laura kept assuring me this was not "Ma-Goon" (Lagoon amusement park we went to this past summer)

Brody playing a game -- he wasn't all that interested in them.

*sigh of relief*

Laura riding the merry-go-round.

We knew it would be hard for the kids to leave, so we made up a song (sung to "Once There Was A Snowman")

Once there was a pirate, pirate, pirate.

Once there was a pirate, Fierce, Fierce, FIERCE!

When it was time to go home, go home, go home,

When it was time to go home,

NO MORE TEARS!

Sarah and I think it helped.

We also went bowling at BYU one afternoon and it was a NIGHTMARE! It was beyond crowded with families and children. We still had fun, but here wasw no time to take pictures!
Brody has a funny little sense of humor and was always delighting us with his remarks. One night during dinner, our cat was eating whatever Laura dropped under her high chair.

Brody piped up: Guh, your cat is like a Roomba!

(a Roomba is a small round disk that vacuums by itself)

CHRISTMAS MORNING

2010-01-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

We had lots of people for Christmas morning. Aunt Tessa, Grandpa Leseberg, Kate, Brody, Dan, Jenn, and later in the day, Jenn's sister Erin. Jenn had to work at 6:30 in the morning, so she and Dan unwrapped their gifts later in the day. Then, Erin came and she had gifts to unwrap. Sarah, Bob, and Laura came later, too and we had great fun.

Brody and Daniel (note cat peeking out from under Dan's blanket).

Brody got his own camera!

Can't decide what to open first!

Tessa and Grandpa all snuggled up, watching the festivities.

BRODY'S 5th BIRTHDAY - Posted 7 weeks late

2010-01-29T20:27:00.001-08:00

Daniel, Bob, Sarah, Grandpa Leseberg
Blowing out the candles

Sarah made a Mickey Mouse cake!

Laura and Brody discover "Hungry, Hungry Hippos."

Inspecting the loot.

Mom (Kate) reads a card, Laura has lost interest. Getting started.

Brody was born about 1:00 AM on Dec. 20. He was 6 weeks premature.

(so was his mom)

We wanted to take him to the NICU at Utah Valley Hospital, so he could see where he was born. Unfortunately, the hospital isn't letting in any visitors

under age 14.

FUNNY FRIDAY

2010-01-29T20:08:00.000-08:00

What's wrong with this picture?

I went to the grocery store and found a great sale on Hamburger Helper.

Notice the magazine I chose for recreational reading.
So, although I dream of cooking new and delicious recipes, the reality of my life

is Hamburger Helper.

I like to think of recipe books, recipe magazines, and Coldwater Creek catalogs as

"Mom Porn."

Our Visit to Houston January 2010

2010-01-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

Mel and I went to Houston to visit the Wallace's (our daughter's family). We had so much fun. Benson (3 in March) helps "Popf" fix the dishwasher.

Bailey (6 years) goes to all day Kindergarten.

Brynley (almost 14 months) is a cruisin' cutie in her walker.

Benson got sick right after we got there, but quickly recovered.

Bailey has four freckles on her nose, just like her mom did!

Mel and I went to Bailey's school for lunch. We brought McDonald's.

Guggie and Bailey

Bailey enjoying her lunch and prize.

The weather was beautiful for several of the days and we'd play outside.

Benson "flying" his airplane.

The Three Musketeers: Kolten, Ty and Bailey. They are all in kindergarten and good buddies.

The world's most content baby -- inside or outside. Also very "cool."

This was a "Cars" big wheel and Benson loved the siren.

Our trip to the Children's Museum

Bryn wasn't so impressed with the exhibits. Here she is in her second outfit of the day. Evidently, she had Museum and Poop Fest confused.

The hands-on exhibits were very popular with Benson.

Once again, the most patient baby in the world.There was a genuine old Mustang the kids could sit in.
Bailey and Benson enjoyed driving it.

Bailey wasn't too sure about Benson's driving.

There were some really cool learning centers.

We had such a great time. If I were a little better at this blogging picture posting, I could show lots more!

Thanks for the great time Wallace Family!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

"Cheers to the New Year, and another chance for us to get it right." (Oprah)

Thank heavens for more chances!

WHY I DON'T LIKE SNOW VERY MUCH

2009-12-16T16:19:00.001-08:00

These are pictures of a parking lot on campus, taken 15 December. Yes, the snow is already piled in big dirty piles that will likely stick around well into March.
Snow looks beautiful, serene, and peaceful for about 10 minutes. Then, life takes over and we must get it out of our way. No snow days taken in Utah - no matter how deep it gets, or how fast it falls! This is my 13th consecutive winter here, and nothing has been cancelled for snow. Ever. Not even once.

It becomes dirty, nasty and totally ugly. I can feel good about calling it
"Mother Nature's White Trash."

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

2009-12-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

This is a palm tree. In St. George, Utah. Sunny St. George. The white dusting is indeed snow. Lucky me, I was there to see it. Well, actually, I went for warm weather, sun, blue skies and Mel's office party. One out of four isn't bad. Is it?

Our Lucky Rainbeau Baby

2009-12-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

"Babies born to families after the loss of a child are referred to as "Rainbow Babies." The idea is that the baby is like a rainbow after a storm. "Rainbow Babies" is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When a rainbow appears, it doesn't mean the storm never happened or that the family is not still dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope."
Ralston Baby is due on July 7th -- 7-7, luckiest day of the year.

...and thebest news is:

2009-12-07T17:06:00.001-08:00

Sarah and Bob and Yaya will welcome a new baby to their family in late June or early July! HOOAH!
This will be Number Seven for Mel and I -- Number Seven, due on 7-7. Perhaps this grandbaby will be known as Lucky.

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

2009-12-07T16:45:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Yaya and her family were having dinner with us. After dinner, Sarah and I bathed and freshified the Divine Miss Laura so that she would be ready to get in bed as soon as they got home. We were all within 10 -15 feet of her, getting dessert on the table, and she was running around the kitchen/play area. All of a sudden, she slipped/tripped/fell into the corner of the little kids' table! There was that 2-3 second silence, before the horrendous shrieking - and blood. Quite a bit of it. We were all rushing too her (no doubt adding to her panic), and trying to get towels, cold cloths or anything to help. Poor thing cried so hard, she began throwing up as well as bleeding!

A trip to InstaCare with Mom and Dad resulted in 10-12 stitches on that perfect little forehead. There were seven on the outside, and at least that on the inside. By the next morning, she was no worse for the wear.

It took Guggie a little longer to get over it.

FAMILY TRADITIONS

2009-12-07T16:32:00.001-08:00

My husband's family are game-playing ninjas. Card games and "Acquire" are the main ones they play. After dinner on Thanksgiving, the SkipBo cards came out for Mel, Grandpa, Brent, and Flor. Yaya decided she wanted sit on Papa's lap and play with the big people. She was quite serious about playing (note the look of concentration as evidenced by the binky in her mouth) -- which fits in perfect with how the clan plays. Yaya continued to play for at least 40 minutes - that equals an eternity for a two-year old! Papa was diligent in explaining how the game was played: Yaya was equally diligent in announcing his cards to the rest of the table. (Yes, she knows her numbers AND colors)

And so the madness begins. . .

THANKSGIVING 2009 in Which Laura Makes the Supreme Gravy of the Universe

2009-12-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

The company was great -- we had Sarah, Bob, and Laura ; Brent and Flor; Dan and Jenn; Pam, Kate and Jim and Grandpa. Oh wait - where's Jenn in these pictures?! We can still see you, Kate.

We missed Mom and Lloyd this year - Lloyd was not too portable this holiday.

So, I'm an OK cook. Sometimes I approach "good cook." There are some foods that I cook well. Gravy has not been one of them. I always end up adding a can/jar/evelope of gravy mix to redeem what I've tried to produce (usually with lumps). This year, I made make-head gravy. You cook turkey wings in the oven, then on the stove, etc. Time consuming, but too easy. I knew it wouldn't be enough for all of us, so I bought no less than 6 jars of gravy to add to it. But, first, I decided to TRY the pan drippings from one of the turkeys (yes, we were a 2-turkey event this year) to make some gravy. Well, Gravy Heaven smiled on me, and the two gravies mixed together were absolutely superb. I'm really being modest and humble - but it was DIVINE.

THE GRATITUDE DANCE

2009-11-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

THIS REPUBLIC OF SUFFERING

2009-11-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

I've read this book over the past several months, a few pages at a time. It was quite fascinating, to see how the Civil War changed our culture's view of death. Since reading it, I've picked up on several references to ideas and mind-sets in our current lives. The accounting of soldiers' lives is always important - the total sum of the dead versus the individual deaths. Interesting, too, to see how the casualty reports affected military decisions, communities, and individuals.
If you are a Civil War buff, this is a must read.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE YOUNG MEN GONE? GONE TO SOLDIERS, EVERY ONE.

2009-11-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

We have added a name to the Memorial Hall wall of heroes. Another young man, CPT Corey Jenkins, USA, was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 25, 2009. He was serving as a Physician's Assistant. He was returning from a humanitarian mission to give cholera vaccinations to a local village. On their return, he and 7 others were killed by an IED. Today, we memorialized him at BYU.

This is the third name we have added to the wall since I began working here in April 2001. I hope it's the last. It's probably not.

I look at all the other names, dating from WWI, and think of the collective grief that each name represents. One long side of the Hall is all windows, facing east, framing Y Mountain. It seems fitting to be able to see the majesty and permanence of the mountains from this room.

The mountains give me a necessary reminder of my place in the scheme of things.

. . . IN WHICH WE PLANT A TREE

2009-11-03T15:48:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, October 25, we planted a tree in Sarah and Bob's back yard in memory of Baby Boy, born still on July 23, 2009. Bob's parents and brother were visiting. Sarah and Bob chose a Linden tree, which is native to this part of Utah. Dan, Thomas, and Bob dug the large hole to accomodate the tree and root ball. [Kate held Yaya over the hole and scared her to death! It was classic teasing at it's finest] Sarah had chosen a scripture "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21) We listened to the song "You Are My Sunshine" and cried while they filled in the hole. (I always sang that to my children; my dad sang it to us; his mother sang it to him) It was such a tender moment, and my heart ached for them.

Sarah's greatest fear is that we will all forget him, but that will never, ever happen. We love ALL of you so much.

MOVIE MANIA

2009-11-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

I rarely watch movies on DVD, videos, whatever. I do have NetFlix, but generally send the movies back after they sit around on the kitchen bar for a month or more. However, 10 days ago, I went with my sister-in-law to see "Amelia." It has Richard Gere (yum!) and Hillary Swank. It was excellent! It was worth even full price. I know, the critics panned it, but it was a great [mostly accurate] story of Amelia Earhart and beautiful scenery that made me glad I saw it on the big screen. I'm not a Hillary Swank fan, but I loved her in this movie.
Last night, I decided to watch my NetFlicks selection "P.S. I Love You." I had been duly warned that it was a tear jerker, and it really was. Cheesy, yes. Believable, no. It is the ultimate chick flick -- Hillary Swank (again) is rather homely in it, but she has these great guys in her life - Harry Connick, Jr., Gerard Butler, and Dead-Denney-from-Grey's-Anatomy. Plus great scenery from Ireland and Manhattan. I mean, really, how can you go wrong? I didn't even multi-task while watching (except the first part while I ate Panda Express for dinner). No needlework, no reading, just sat and watched a movie. It was a modern miracle, I'm telling you.
Thank you, Dan and Jenn, for not laughing at me crying through the entire thing.

Tomorrow's weather. . .

2009-10-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

Snow is predicted tomorrow. . . hopefully not this much.

Can you guess where I was?

2009-10-26T16:45:00.001-07:00

Did you think I'd go anywhere there wasn't Diet Coke or flamingos?!

You should go to South Dakota

2009-10-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

Club Janke

2009-10-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

I went to South Dakota (and Iowa and Nebraska - sometimes all 3 in just a few minutes) to visit my dear friend Peg last week. It was such a wonderful, restful break in mi vida loca! I think I'll make it through the holidays at least! We spent two full days, in our jammie pants - no hair or make up -- and made homemade cards. Peg had everything set up and has TONS of great papers and doo-dads to work with. (I have tons, too, but wouldn't know where to begin to find them in my mess!) She had precut, pre-printed, filled the house with snacks and diet Coke....it is a wonder I ever came home! I got to see her two darling grandchildren, Aidan and Ayla. Aidan was waiting for me at the airport with a "Guh Leseberg" sign he had decorated. (My grandkids call me Guh) I hadn't seen their mother since she was about 10 or 12, so it was great to see Kendra too -- and meet Aaron, her husband. Did I mention Peg's husband Roger? What a great sport to give us DVD set ups, news updates, etc while I was there.

The last day, Peg treated me to a SPA DAY! We had pedicures while we ate lunch, had manicures, and then a MASSAGE. Oh, the decadence of a massage -- I'd never had one. I was almost purring by the time it was over. She may have created a monster.

I took pictures of our mess -- but not how neat and orderly the den was before we began our marathon! I actually make a bigger mess by myself when I actually sew or scrap book.

A MOUSE IN OUR HOUSE

2009-09-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday, we discovered a mouse had taken up residence in our kitchen pantry. So, after almost four years of living pet-free, we got another cat.
Dan, Jenn and I went to the Salt Lake City Humane Society (now there's a gut-wrenching place) and picked out a 2 month-old tortoise-looking calico, spayed female kitten, with yellow eyes. It was really difficult to choose, and many of the kittens tugged at my heart. (Never mind the older cats, and I couldn't even look in the dog room)
For now, we're calling her SheeRah, Princess of Power; but I'm not quite convinced that's her name. I'm kind of tossing around Tortellini. Given our diverse pet names, who knows what we'll end up calling her?!
She has a mighty big role to fill as our family pet. We'll always miss Grunty, Ytl, Soobie, Poose, Mo, and Lucy.

The thing I like best about the first day of fall is having survived the summer.

2009-09-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Busy. Hectic. Full. Sad. All of the above. We had our daughter and 3 children from Houston visit us for a month in May-June. It was so much fun and we packed in all the love we could. Then, my sister's family came for 8-9 days for her daughter's wedding. They brought Brody with them, too! (Thanks so much) Less than 2 weeks later, we were the host family for Mel's family reunion. We fed and entertained between 60-70 people for 4 days. *Whew* We had a lot of fun, but it was exhausting.
I thought I'd cruise the rest of the summer, and catch up on projects, etc. But, 5 days after the reunion, Sarah and Bob found out their baby had died at about 20-21 weeks of pregnancy. Sarah had gone for a routine ultra sound, and the baby had died. On July 23, 2009, Baby Boy Ralston was stillborn. We are all devastated.
The rest of summer passed slowly and sadly with the exception of Jenn's graduation from BYU in August. *GO JENN!* We got to visit with her family while they were here from Colorado.
Now, school has started -- Bailey in Kindergarten (all day!) in Houston; Bob in his Nurse Practioner program at BYU; and everyone wants to join Army ROTC, so my business is good.
So long summer. Welcome Fall -- the best season in Utah. We are ready for a change.

MODERN MARVELS

2009-09-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

**CAUTION** ORGAN RECITAL FOLLOWS!

For over 5 years, I've been pursuing relief from allergies and asthma. I've suffered unbelievably my entire life, no matter where I live. Three times, in 25+ years, I've tried allergy desensitization shots and couldn't tolerate even the lowest dose.

About 5.5 years ago, when asthma was becoming a chronic and regular issue, I went to a pulmonologist. He tested my blood for auto-immune somethings. I was over a 100 points past BAD. In turn, because of having this test, I met the criteria for a super-duper wonder drug, Xolair, that blocks all antihistamine responses. I go to a local allergy doctor for this.

This wonder drug is made from recombinant DNA and costs $1800 every 2 weeks, for 2 shots. The serum is thick like honey and hurts while going in very slowly. The nurse's arm would start to shake while injecting it! This shot enabled me to take allergy desensitization shots. This involved 2 shots, twice a week, gradually decreasing over 5 years to 2 shots, every 2 weeks. A separate office visit was required for each set of shots. As you can see, this has taken a huge amount of time and commitment on my part -- as well as really good insurance! I did have a relatively small copay. (We have primary and secondary insurance)

Last week, I had my final Xolair shot! After meeting with the doctor on Monday, I'm looking at stopping even maintenance desensitization shots in 6 months or so.

I can honestly point to this treatment as a therapy that has changed my life. Not only have I been able to stop 3-4 regular prescriptions, but I rarely require an antihistamine. I can be outside, work in the yard, sit in the grass, eat fresh fruit and veggies. I rarely have sinus issues, and I haven't had an asthma attack for over 5 years.

This sounds like an organ recital, but for me, it's been a long, demanding journey whose destination has changed my life.

Thanks, Dr. Matheson. YOU ROCK!!

A Witness to Grace

2009-09-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

"I learned that unbelievably awful things can and do happen. In truth, they are not such rare, isolated events. Each of us has a story that would break someone’s heart. Despite the grief and the unfairness of it all, we keep going. There are chores to be done. There are people who still need our care. There is a life to be led.

The real lesson? I realized that, regardless of the heartache, we may choose the moments in which we live.

On that day, I learned that love creates a tremendous capacity for grace. And perhaps it is that grace that keeps us moving forward." (Aldra Robinson)

This is part of an essay that was featured today on the Real Simple Daily Thought page. It certainly strikes a chord in my soul. Especially today. And everyday.

Shredders, Copiers and other Office Annoyances

2009-09-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

I went a couple of rounds with my shredder today. The area around my desk looks like someone threw up confetti. At least I didn't have to find any paper jams in the copier, too. We had Mr. Copier-Fix-It out yesterday to rehab the machine. The first week of school pretty much trashes it. (I wish I could convince my co-workers that there IS a right/wrong side of copier paper when you load it.)
Then there's the NEWANDIMPROVED voice messaging on the telephone. I pray everyday that they don't "upgrade" our service again. Don't even get me started on computer updates ~ my Microsoft 2007 wants to update to 2008, every time I start or close my computer. Never EVER agree to automatic updates. If you do, you're screwed.
Thank heavens we have an in-house techie for part of each day. The scariest thing is that I'm not even close to the most machine-impaired person in this building.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR HOLIDAYS

2009-09-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

So, a 3-day weekend, and not a moment too soon. We're going to St. Anthony, ID to visit Mel's dad. Daniel and Jenn are going with us, so we should have some fun. Maybe I'll even figure out how to post some pictures when we get back.
Anyone else have fun plans?

It wasn't me, I promise!

2009-09-04T08:09:00.001-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090903/od_nm/us_flamingo

Classmates

2009-09-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

School has started again, and working at a university, I still get some of the new-school-year thrill. Nothing like when I was a kid, or when my children were in school, but still. . . . So, I decide to look on ClassMates.something for my high school in Atlanta. I was able to see MANY names that I think I recognized. But, after 36 years, who the heck knows? I clicked on a few names with pictures and stories and was struck by how OLD everyone looks! (I need to get younger friends since I'm sure I don't look nearly that old) There was not one person that I actually felt like I'd want to contact. Many of them had obviously had VERY different lives than I have, and I can't imagine we'd have much in common. Am I the only one who is somewhat dismayed/concerned/appalled at 54 year old men who are still playing their electric guitars in their garages? *sigh*

THE BEGINNING

2009-09-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Today, being September 1st, seemed like a good beginning to blog about my life.
Sometimes, my life is like a whirlwind or outrageously funny or gut-wrenching sad, always drama filled, and (hopefully) boring someday. I want to document and share with friends some of the joys and sorrows and humor of my world.